In the recently released trailer for Moana 2, Dwayne ‘the Rock’ Johnson’s Maui makes a great joke about Moana’s pig, Pua, that actually references a massive, underrated plot hole from the original Moana. Moana 2 is the sequel to Disney’s 2016 animated film, Moana. The franchise follows Moana, a Polynesian teenager who is dedicated to exploring the ocean around her isolated island, and solving the problems of the nature surrounding her. Moana 2 welcomes back the cast of the first film, including Auliʻi Cravalho as Moana and Dwayne Johnson as Maui. The sequel will be released in November 2024.

In under 2 minutes, Moana 2’s trailer says a little and a lot about the upcoming sequel. At first glance, audiences see Moana is back on her island with the same determination as she had in the first movie: to connect her people with nature and the mysterious unknown surrounding their island. Moana’s trusty companions, Heihei and Pua, have also returned, along with Moana’s enemy-turned-friend from the first film, the demigod, Maui. But plot aside, Moana 2’s trailer includes a joke that is both funny and relevant, as it brings up a major plot question from the first movie.

“Why Didn’t You Bring The Pig?” Moana 2 Pokes Fun At The First Film’s Headscratcher

Pua never accompanied Moana on her adventures

In the trailer for Moana 2, Maui crash lands on Moana’s raft and makes a joke about eating Heihei and Pua. However, when he sees Pua, he doesn’t recognize the pig, and asks Moana, ‘Why didn’t you bring the pig last time?” This very brief joke at the end of the trailer actually raises a huge question that has lingered since the first movie released in 2016. Moana introduced both Heihei and Pua as Moana’s animal companions, and yet only Heihei went with Moana on her journey to return the Heart of Te Fiti to the goddess.

Ultimately, it seems Moana 2 is finally willing to broach the long-running question: why didn’t Moana bring Pua with her? Of course, the film may not actually answer this question, as it is a pretty low-stakes situation, but it’s exciting that the movie is even mentioning the plot hole in the first place. It’s also interesting that they would include Maui’s question in the trailer. Regardless of where this goes in Moana 2, it seems as though the franchise is willing to own up to this strange situation from the first movie, whether they plan to explain it or not.

Why Didn’t Moana Bring The Pig After All?

Pua was a symbol for Moana

Maui may be the first Moana character to ask about Pua, but that doesn’t mean no one has asked this question before. In fact, there are two reasons as to why Pua was left. First and foremost, it seems that Pua is left behind because he’s afraid of the water. When Moana first attempts to leave the island, she takes Pua with her, and they quickly shipwreck. When Moana tries again, Pua runs away, clearly afraid of the water. Therefore, Pua stays behind due to fear, and also the danger of what Moana is trying to do.

From a writer’s perspective, there’s another reason why Pua is left behind in Moana. The reason why Moana’s writers made Pua scared of the water is because they wanted to force Moana to be completely alone, without any true comforts. In an Entertainment Weekly article, Moana producer, Osnat Shurer, revealed that Pua was left behind so Moana could take a true hero’s journey, in which “all things of Moana’s family are left behind.” Heihei may have been familiar, but he certainly wasn’t a comfort.

Pua May Finally Get His Time To Shine In Moana 2

Maui’s joke hints at more Pua in Moana 2

Overall, the Pua joke at the end of the Moana 2 trailer may be more than just a silly little jest. In fact, it may be a hint that Pua will finally play a bigger role in the second movie. Already, it seems that Pua has overcome his fear and has accompanied Moana on her raft. In this way, he may help Moana with her latest adventure, making up for his absence from the first movie. This would even explain why the Maui joke was included, to show audiences that Pua is finally a part of the crew.

In the end, Moana 2 looks like it is going to raise the stakes of the first movie. With Pua now by her side, Moana will be on her way to tackling yet another amazing adventure. This time, it seems that Moana will be searching for new people to connect with around the island. However, there is no telling what sort of hurdles she will have to overcome to reach her goal. This mystery will be revealed when Moana 2 premieres on November 27, 2024.